0058 058 Boss, times have changed for many years.
Before Qi Shuyao could speak, Jiang Yu called them over with a smile. The four of them met, and Lu Wenchun, being very familiar with her, came over and took her hand, muttering something like, "I just like beautiful women."
Jiang Yu was also visibly excited and immediately came over to tease her.
"Out with your boyfriend?"
"No, no, no, we're classmates, high school classmates."
"Why such a big reaction? Are you shy?"
In all the years I've known Jiang Yu, it seems like only today she looks like a living person, with emotions and ups and downs. The rest of the time she's like a robot, indifferent to everything around her.
Sensing that she was about to hear some gossip, Lu Wenchun stopped insisting on going shopping. Instead, she dragged the three of them to a coffee shop and booked a room, her eyes darting excitedly between them.
"This is Xiao Yaoyao that Jiang Yu often talks about. Come and see, she's so pretty."
Qi Shuyao couldn't avoid it, so she could only let Lu Wenchun rub her face. She turned her eyes to look at Jiang Yu, as if asking her, "Are all the people in Changgang this enthusiastic?"
Jiang Yu smiled and urged Qin Zhuohan to order food. The two of them hugged each other until a phone notification sound separated them.
"Look, look, another one jumped down, oh my, it's a bloody mess."
The maid at Lu Wenchun's house filmed the man who jumped off the building today. He landed on the ground and was smashed into a pulp. The police arrived at the scene, but they were used to it.
She held up her phone to show Jiang Yu, and Qin Zhuohan and the other man also glanced at the screen subconsciously. She even pulled up the broadcast of Changgang News, which showed that the police had confirmed the identity of the deceased, who turned out to be from Jingyang.
"I know this person!"
Qi Shuyao and Qin Zhuohan shouted in unison, and Jiang Yu stared at them blankly.
Who is it?
"That's the one, the one who won the lottery last week."
"Yes, it was him. He won 160 million yuan. When he went to claim the prize, he wore a hood, but after he finished, he posted a video showing his face."
Jiang Yu didn't follow the news and didn't know this person. She looked left and right, but still didn't understand.
"Then how did he end up in Changgang?"
This time, it was Lu Wenchun who took the lead.
"You've been in Changgang for so many years and you didn't know? Come and gamble, there are so many people like this."
She spoke casually, but Qi Shuyao and Qin Zhuohan exchanged a glance.
Seeing that the other three looked a little confused, Lu Wenchun put down her phone and began to explain in detail.
"Don't you people here know? There's a small island outside Changgang. Although it belongs to Changgang, gambling is legal there. Many people from home and abroad go there to gamble. There's a tall building in front of my house. This is the building where this person jumped off. Recently, a lot of people have jumped off. I guess they all lost money gambling and couldn't pay it back, so they just took their own lives."
"Wasn't it there before?" This was the question Qi Shuyao asked.
“It happened before, but not this frequently. I was wondering what kind of business here has made so many people rich and have money to gamble. You know, the stakes there are really high, hundreds of thousands in a single hand. Unlucky people can lose hundreds of millions in one night.”
Both she and Jiang Yu acted as if it were none of their business, but she seemed to be watching the show, Jiang Yu was indifferent, Qin Zhuohan glanced at her from time to time, and only Qi Shuyao seemed to have realized something.
"Recently, a group of residents in the old city area have received their compensation for the demolition."
Qin Zhuohan seemed to understand, but Lu Wenchun didn't quite.
"What do you mean? What kind of household?"
“There don’t seem to be any people like this in Changgang, but there are many here. Some families receive hundreds of millions of yuan at once and still own many houses.”
"Oh, I get it. These nouveau riche must have been targeted by junket operators. What a jinx."
Lu Wenchun casually summarized her catchphrase, which she had picked up from somewhere, and the topic was dropped. After finishing their coffee, the four of them parted ways again. Before leaving, Jiang Yu held Qi Shuyao's hand for a while, but finally let go silently.
Qin Zhuohan and Qi Shuyao returned to school together and parted ways at the school gate.
"It seems those people really couldn't pay their gambling debts and got beaten up."
"But it might be different. At the very least, the people whose fingers were cut off probably gambled before and couldn't quit even after trying. Those people who were relocated only recently received their compensation."
"So this is a very large organization, and it has been around for many years."
"Don't make a fuss yet. These are things we can't solve. They've existed for so many years, and we can't just overturn them like that."
"I know, it's just that this time it's right under my nose."
"You need to learn to accept these things. I bet your father knows that too."
"Let's go back first, it's too cold."
Qi Shuyao watched his tall figure walk into the school gate and blend into the crowd, still so conspicuous. She suddenly felt that in this melting pot, there were still people who could hold on to themselves, even if they would suffer a lot.
Walking into her school through the snow, she followed two girls toward the supermarket. The area had been quiet until suddenly it became noisy, as someone said something.
"Wang Yan is also a resource-backed actress. She got married with great fanfare and said she was retiring from the entertainment industry, but not long after, she came out and said she was getting a divorce. Now she plays the female lead in every drama, but every drama flops. She never promoted herself or created any CP pairings before, but now she's suddenly interacting with the male lead. Everyone's saying that her sugar daddy doesn't want her anymore."
"This little thing shouldn't warrant taking the show down. Besides, who in the entertainment industry doesn't have a backer or a powerful backer? It's nothing."
"The fact that the show can't be broadcast is definitely a big deal. Someone has been blacklisted, but we don't know who it is yet."
"Aren't there rumors about male celebrities committing crimes lately? Maybe Luo Xinze got arrested, hahaha."
"I knew you didn't like him, hahaha."
A group of girls laughed and discussed gossip about the entertainment industry before leaving the supermarket. Qi Shuyao didn't care about entertainment news; she just felt that the two names sounded familiar.
Oh, I remember now, she even went to their film set. Could it be that the show can't be broadcast anymore?
She paid at the cashier, carrying a small plastic bag as she walked back to her dorm, scrolling through her phone. These two celebrities, both with considerable fan bases, had already caused a huge uproar on forums over the news that their dramas wouldn't air, even though it was just a rumor. It was as if they wanted the other to be sentenced to death.
After going through the whole story, we arrived at the dormitory. The other three people were there, which was unusual for them, but they were all quiet and no one spoke.
She sat in her seat, staring at the half-finished painting in front of her. Lately, she had been losing inspiration more and more; all her talent had been drained, and even the hand holding the paintbrush had become stiff.
This is the fifth time this year that she has doubted whether she has chosen the wrong path.
Bei Huai was sitting in his office, slumped in his chair, stunned.
He only took over his family's film and television business at the beginning of this year. Everything was going well, the review process was going smoothly, and the TV series starring Wang Yan and Luo Xinzhe was directly selected for the prime time slot at the beginning of next year. Now, it has been suddenly suspended, and the news has been leaked from somewhere.
All employees worked overtime to investigate each department, digging up information on those who had left, retired, and even their ancestors for three generations.
The assistant took a list to Bei Huisi's office and handed it to each person in turn.
"Mr. Bei, these are all employees who worked on the film crew and have now resigned. This list includes some who have found new jobs, some whose whereabouts have not been determined, and some who have not continued working."
Bei Huai took the few pages of paper and flipped through them impatiently. He didn't recognize these people, and he was completely confused by the large number of forms.
"Han Dan's personal assistant has resigned? What are they doing now?"
"After he left the company, he cut off all contact with others, and there was no information in the industry about his re-employment. But it is said that he and Han Dan had a very unpleasant falling out before he left the company, and they even argued at the company."
"What the hell..."
He frowned as he called Han Dan. This assistant had been with Han Dan since he became an agent, and knew more about the company's affairs than he did. How could someone of this caliber leave the company without going through him?
Han Dan's phone could be dialed, but no one answered. This was the case with both his work and personal numbers. Bei Huai stared at the call screen and suddenly began to panic.
"Quickly, find this assistant with all your might, and send people to find Han Dan as well, immediately!"
Guan Xiang went to see Han Wei again today, but Han Wei didn't come out to greet him. There were still voices coming from inside the house.
Guan Xiang, who always prided himself on his composure, impulsively rushed in today, launching into a barrage of sarcastic remarks before even getting a clear look at the people inside.
"Cheng Jie and Cheng Xin have only been in jail for a short time, and their daughter-in-law, who is not yet married into the family, couldn't stand it and started looking for someone else."
Han Wei heard the noise, turned around, and jogged over to pat him gently.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Are you trying to insult yourself?"
"Me? If you come with me, Cheng Jie will have to kowtow to me twice while he's in there."
He put his arm around Han Wei and walked inside. Only when they stood in the living room did he see the man curled up on the sofa, and he frowned.
"Sir, I forgot to introduce you. This is my elder brother, Han Dan."
"I know, you're Producer Han, why don't you go and make your big productions instead of having time to care about your sister?"
"Sir, please don't make fun of me. I've been bringing you business recently."
"Yes, Boss Han has lost a lot recently, while I've made a lot. It seems I've found another way to make a fortune, since I'm so willing to lose."
Guan Xiang kept mocking him, so Han Dan immediately knelt down in front of him and kowtowed.
"Boss Guan, I beg you to save me. All the money I had was embezzled on set. I originally came to your place with my assistant, but recently that bastard said that I won money and didn't share it with him. He went straight to my rival's place and even reported me. Now the TV series project has been suspended. I finally managed to escape, but I'm too scared to go out now. If I go out, the police will arrest me."
"Wow, even TV dramas have been suspended. It's that serious."
"That's fine for now. I've already sent online trolls to spread the word and get the male and female leads' fans fighting each other. These two have a lot of followers and there have been rumors of discord between them before, so it can divert a lot of attention."
"Brother, look at this..."
Unable to get a word in edgewise, Han Wei started scrolling through her phone. Suddenly, a new discussion popped up on the screen: someone anonymously revealed that Wang Yan and Luo Xinze, the producers of their new drama, had engaged in a series of bribery and other misconduct, with details almost identical to what Han Dan had described herself.
Han Dan snatched the phone, his fingers trembling as he swiped across the screen. He used to hide in the shadows, manipulating his unsuspecting fans into endless infighting. Now, he himself had been stripped naked and exposed. Swiping the screen felt like peeling off layers of skin for him.
The brother and sister huddled together in front of their phone, looking at the comments from netizens. One by one, deeper secrets were gradually revealed. Scrolling to the bottom, even rumors of Wang Yan and Guan Xiang being kept by a sugar daddy surfaced.
"Master, this..."
Guan Xiang glanced at his phone and nonchalantly exhaled a smoke ring.
"Mr. Han, you're always in the spotlight of the entertainment industry, haven't you noticed that times have changed?"
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